


One of Those Nights

by HappyFunBallXD



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, mild implied bondage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-12
Updated: 2012-12-12
Packaged: 2017-11-20 22:45:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/590483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyFunBallXD/pseuds/HappyFunBallXD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As it was, Gabriel was starting to understand the Winchester brothers' hatred of witches.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One of Those Nights

**Author's Note:**

> For the Team Free Love Secret Exchange on LJ. Prompts: "A hunt gone wrong leaves Gabriel temporarily without his powers. Being helpless is a completely new experience for him and of course the former trickster gets in trouble and needs to get rescued." I tried to get as much ship as I could in here. XD Also includes a bit of another prompt, "The FBI catches up with the team." Title taken from a song by The Cab, which I listened to a lot during writing.

Gabriel stepped carefully over the mess on the floor. The room looked like a hurricane had blown through, upending nearly every object in its path. Broken furniture, shattered glass, pieces of knick knacks and electronics littered the drab carpet. It was almost enough of a mess to overlook the blood.  
  
Almost.  
  
The archangel surveyed the wreck of a living room. He gave a low whistle, hands shoved into his jacket pockets. They really did a number on this one. If he hadn't already known what was going on, this could've stumped him The bloody mess, the demolished room; it was more akin to some sort of large animal attack. Only inside. As it was, he was starting to understand the Winchester brothers' hatred of witches. Nasty business to your everyday human.  
  
The body was already gone. Or at least what was left of it. The cops had cleared out that morning, probably dragging the pieces of the latest victim out of the house as Team Free Will ate breakfast. Well, while the two humans and the falling angel ate breakfast. Gabriel had been slumped over Sam's laptop, dead to the world. Sleeping was hard. He was still getting used to it.  
  
So, while the brothers were out doing their thing at the police station, decked hilariously in stuffy suits, Gabriel was here, looking for something to lead him to the witch in question. Because the sooner they found the bitch, the sooner he could get everything back to normal and be done with it. And he was going to get to her before the hunters did. It was a matter of principle, dammit. His abilities had been questioned, by Castiel nonetheless. He wasn't going to let that go without a fight.  
  
But looking at the mess, it didn't seem too likely he was going to find anything. Not that he knew exactly what he was even looking for. It's not like he expected the witch's spell to leave a name and address behind or something. But it was better than sitting useless at the hotel room with the other angel.  
  
He wandered past the living room, into the hallway. All the pictures hanging on the walls were broken, some of the frames fallen from the wall to land on the carpet. This was one pissed off witch.  
  
There was a click behind him, and Gabriel froze.  
  
"Stay where you are, and put your hands where I can see them."  
  
Slowly, the archangel raised his arms up, fingers out in a placating gesture. He didn't turn around, but he didn't have to. The officer stepped closer, circling until he was facing the other, gun drawn. Gabriel frowned, rolling his eyes.  
  
"You're under arrest for tampering with a crime scene."  
  
Keeping his arms up, the archangel arched a brow, snapping his fingers. Nothing happened. The officer looked at him suspiciously for a moment, before reaching to snap a pair of handcuffs over his wrist. The metal clinked as it hit the silver bracelet on his arm.  
  
"…Peachy."  
  
0000000000  
  
 _The Day Before…_  
  
The last hunt had been one they could safely classify as a disaster. They'd thought they were dealing with a normal witch problem. By now, Sam figured, they really ought to stop assuming any of their cases were going to go down easy. The witch in question, as it turned out, had teamed up with a demon. She hadn't said who, but apparently it was a rather powerful one.  
  
Gabriel had stepped in to help after that. The witch hadn't batted an eye, dousing the archangel with some kind of purple glitter. And while purple glitter was bad enough-- that stuff never came off!-- the worst part happened afterwards. Apparently the glitter was merely a distraction. While the archangel was busy sputtering with a mouthful of purple shinies, the witch grabbed his wrist, snapping a small silver bracelet onto it.  
  
She was gone an instant later, before any of them could react. Gabriel lunged in attempt to grab her before she magicked herself away, but he only managed to fall on his face.  
  
That in itself had been surprising.  
  
By that point, the others had gathered around the spot. Castiel helped the shorter angel to his feet, while the brothers scouted around in case the witch hadn't left. Frowning, Gabriel snapped his fingers, intent on bringing the witch back to deal with.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
He tried again. And again. And again. He snapped until his fingers started to hurt. Castiel and Sam exchanged worried looks. Then the angel grabbed Gabriel's wrist, examining the bracelet. It was a thin band, small enough that it wouldn't fit over his hand to get it off. There was no clasp, whatever one there had been had sealed itself when the witch put it on him. There were symbols carved into the metal, Enochian, obviously not something a mere human witch would know.  
  
Dean leaned down, peering at the bracelet. "Not to interrupt your time as Pretty Pretty Princess, Gabe… but I'm assuming this thing is gonna be a lot more trouble than its worth."  
  
Gabriel just scowled at him. "No shit…"  
  
"What is it?" Sam pulled the archangel's arm from Castiel's grasp, looking at it as well.  
  
"It looks like some sort of power limiter…" Castiel replied with a thoughtful frown. "The symbols will render the user powerless until the bracelet is taken off. This is some complex magic…"  
  
"And the glitter?"  
  
"I don't quite understand that myself. It may have been a distraction."  
  
"It's fabulous," Dean smirked, before turning serious. "We've got one AWOL witch who's got a demon sugar daddy and one juiceless archangel with a jewelry fetish. Let's just get back to the motel before something else goes wrong."  
  
Gabriel spent the next few minutes spitting out glitter. There wasn't much more they could do on the case without a witch to take care of, so they eventually had to give up and go home. The angels were confined to the backseat, with Dean promising he'd murder Gabriel if he found one speck of glitter on his upholstery.  
  
So they sat in the motel.  
  
Through process of elimination-- not to mention boredom-- Gabriel had figured out that all of his powers were limited by the bracelet. No flying from place to place, no zapping things in and out of existence. For all intents and purposes, he was a human for the time being. It was irony at its finest. He'd chosen to side with the humans against his brothers, and now he was acting like one against his own choice.  
  
Another interesting fact. While the limiter was suppressing all of Gabriel's powers, it was also strong enough magic to dampen Castiel's. Or what little Grace the angel had left. If he was in the same room as the archangel, he was just as powerless as the one wearing the bracelet. He didn't like the feeling, but he figured it was worse for Gabriel.  
  
"Okay. I see where the witch hate comes from now."  
  
Gabriel slumped in his chair. On the other side of the table, Dean nodded his agreement. Sam just rolled his eyes. The archangel sighed in a dramatic manner, leaning to the side. He rested his chin on Castiel's shoulder in the chair beside him, giving him the best puppy eyes he could manage.  
  
The other angel didn't seem effected. "Yes?"  
  
"You know what would make me feel better? Some chocolate."  
  
Dean snickered, muttering something about girls and hormones. Sam tossed a balled up piece of paper at him. Small blessings.  
  
"That's informative," Castiel replied. "I don't see why you needed to bring this to my attention though."  
  
Gabriel turned the sad puppy look up a notch. "I was kinda hoping you could get me some?"  
  
"Why not get your own?" the older Winchester cut in with a smirk.  
  
The archangel turned his eyes to the other, glaring. "You're not funny."  
  
"I'm hilarious."  
  
"You're so lucky I can't smite you right now..." he growled, leaning further against Castiel.  
  
Sam and Castiel let out identical long-suffering sighs.  
  
Later on, while Castiel and Sam spent their time researching an out for the bracelet, the powerless archangel tried to amuse himself. Dean had gotten him a bag of chocolate candies, mostly as an unspoken apology for teasing him so much on the ride back. He sulked on the couch, empty wrappers littering the seat next to him and grumbled about nothing being on television. If he had his powers, he could make something more interesting. He also wouldn't be running out of candy already.  
  
By the end of the night, they hadn't found anything. TV was still boring, so Gabriel had taken to draping himself over Castiel, watching as the angel looked through a thick old book. It was still boring, but at least he could mess with him this way. He rested his chin on Castiel's shoulder, toying with the other angel's hair boredly.  
  
"This book needs more pictures. More of those dark, bloody ones. Like that one." He pointed as Castiel turned the page, one side of it showing a rather gory sacrifice ritual. He grinned.  
  
Castiel turned his head slightly to meet his eyes. "You're not providing very much assistance, Gabriel."  
  
He shrugged. "Neither is Dean, but you're not whining at him."  
  
Across the table, Sam's fingers paused on the laptop. "He's out getting food. Maybe you should've gone with him."  
  
"We'd have killed each other, straight up."  
  
He shrugged. He couldn't exactly argue with that logic.  
  
0000000000  
  
Gabriel crossed his arms, slumped back in the folding chair. Across the table, the pair of detectives studied him thoughtfully. It only made the brunette scowl harder. This was ridiculous. He was an archangel, dammit. He should be doing important things, not sitting here in a police station getting questioned as to why he'd been found at a murder scene and didn't seem to have any identification. He technically didn't exist at all.  
  
The police were baffled, but they tried not to show it. Gabriel wasn't helping in the slightest. He wasn't telling them anything. So they sat in stalemate, staring at each other across the table. They'd found him at the scene of the crime, sure, but there was no evidence that he was connected to the murder in any way. Of course, the whole not- existing thing was suspicious as hell.  
  
A noise from outside interrupted their staring match. There was a slam of metal against metal down the long hall, drawing the officers' attention. The first stood, going to the door to see what the commotion was about. Curious, Gabriel leaned in his seat, trying to see through the crack in the open door. Something flew across what he could see of the corridor, and the officer yelled in surprise. He slid out of the room, snapping a warning to whoever was throwing things. People. Then he went flying as well.  
  
The second officer wasted no time running after his partner. From inside the room, Gabriel heard a short scuffle this time, before the man was flung to join his partner.  
  
Everything was silent after that. Gabriel licked his lips anxiously, sliding slowly from his chair. He didn't want to wind up next. He'd had enough physical damage done to his sad little presently- human form, thank you very much. Footsteps echoed in the quiet, coming closer to the room. The archangel backed up, looking for something he could possibly use as a weapon and coming up empty handed, unless a cup of lukewarm coffee counted.  
  
The intruder pushed the door open slowly, and Gabriel's jaw dropped.  
  
0000000000  
  
 _That morning…_  
  
Gabriel woke up with his face pressed against the table. The laptop had long since gone into power save mode. He'd been unable to sleep through most of the night; no matter how hard he tried, so he'd decided to steal Sam's laptop to amuse himself.  
  
He leaned back, scowling tiredly as his back protested from his sleeping position. A bit of squirming rewarded him with a chorus of popping joints, and he sprawled back in the chair, looking around. The bed closest to the door was empty. The four of them had shared the two bed room for the night, although technically Castiel had his own bed, since Gabriel spent most of the night sleeping at the table instead.  
  
The other angel was currently perched on the other bed, sitting cross-legged in a pair of old pajama pants, most likely liberated from one of the Winchester's wardrobes. He happily ate from a bowl of cereal, watching something on the TV. Some cheesy movie, from the looks of it. As far as Gabriel was concerned, it looked like the younger angel was handling his loss of Grace with far more relaxation than he himself was.  
  
Blue eyes turned to him as he stretched again, working the soreness out of his shoulders.  
  
"It's not good for you to sleep like that."  
  
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead moving to grab the box of cereal. Forgoing the bowl, he settled for eating it right out of the box. "Yeah, well, I wasn't planning on sleeping. You kick in your sleep, by the way."  
  
Castiel didn't seem all too concerned with his sleeping habits, instead crunching away at his cereal.  
  
"So, where's TweedleDumb and TweedleDumber?"  
  
The blue- eyed angel tilted his head in confusion for a moment before assuming he meant the hunters. "Sam and Dean left earlier to work on their case. They believe if they can find the witch, they can reverse the limits on your Grace."  
  
"Obviously," he frowned. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?"  
  
Castiel chewed on his spoon for a moment, as if debating the answer to the question. "They felt it would be safer if we stayed behind."  
  
"So what, we're just supposed to sit here while they screw around and hopefully manage to stumble upon some kind of clue? This could take forever!"  
  
It was the younger angel's turn to frown. "You don't think they're capable of doing their job?"  
  
"I think I can get my powers back from this chick before they even get a clue on where she'd be!"  
  
"Gabriel, I really don't think…"  
  
The archangel tossed the cereal box aside, getting to his feet. "Look Cas, you might be fine with living the human life here, but I'm not. I've got better things to do than twiddle my thumbs while I put my Grace in the hands of a couple of bumbling pretty boys."  
  
Castiel stared at him, hurt evident on his face for a second, before his eyes narrowed, the expression turning into a scowl. Gabriel bit his lip, suddenly regretting this conversation.  
  
"Cas, I didn't…"  
  
The dark- haired angel stood silently, moving past him to set the bowl on the counter, keeping his back to the other.  
  
"Despite what you might think, Gabriel, this isn't easy for me. I am not 'fine with it'."  
  
Before Gabriel had a chance to reply, Castiel brushed past him once more, padding into the bathroom and slamming the door behind him. The archangel glared ineffectively at the door for a moment. Realizing that wasn't going to accomplish anything, he stormed out the front door.  
  
He'd prove it to them. He'd beat them on their own hunt. And he'd get the stupid bracelet off and be on his way in no time. How hard could it be to track down a stupid witch?  
  
0000000000  
  
"Gabriel…?"  
  
Luckily, the archangel had backed himself against the wall; otherwise his legs might have given out on him in relief. Castiel pushed the door the rest of the way open, stepping inside. He looked as relieved as Gabriel felt.  
  
Gabriel felt a grin tugging at his face, pushing off from the wall run to the other angel, grabbing onto him in a hug that almost knocked him over.  
  
"Hey Cas! Nice of you to drop by!"  
  
Castiel fell back a step, supporting the other with a soft chuckle. "I figured it was time to get you back. You wouldn't want to miss dinner, would you?"  
  
The shorter angel looped an arm around Castiel's shoulders. "Of course not! Who else is gonna keep you all entertained?"  
  
He started to reply, but a commotion from outside the room silenced him. Both angels turned to the door, listening as boots thudded against the tile floor. Reinforcements. There were more sets of footsteps than either of them could count. After Castiel's grand entrance, they obviously weren't taking any chances.  
  
Gabriel frowned, glancing at the silver band on his arm. "This would be so much easier without this thing…"  
  
"Without it, we wouldn't be in this situation to begin with," Castiel countered. "I'll take care of them."  
  
"Wait," Gabriel set his hand on the other's arm, halting him. "As much as I love seeing you act the badass, there's way too many of them. And with me around, you're just as limited as I am."  
  
Castiel thought this over, frowning. "What do you suggest then?"  
  
He opened his mouth to reply, before realizing he didn't have anything to reply with. Looking around the room quickly, he worked to think of a plan. The Winchesters had escaped the police on a few occasions before; it couldn't be THAT hard to do…  
  
His eyes landed on the wall. In the corner, tucked away from initial view, was a grated ventilation tunnel. Gabriel hummed thoughtfully, turning to study Castiel. The taller angel noticed the look.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was just wondering if you'd fit in there," he pointed to the vent.  
  
Castiel tilted his head. "You want to go through there?"  
  
"It's sneaky. I've seen it in movies. We'll be outta here before they notice where we've gone!"  
  
The dark- haired angel didn't look quite convinced, giving him a wary frown. But on the other hand, he didn't have any better ideas. Gabriel seemed to think it would work, and he usually knew more about these human things than he did. Finally he nodded, stepping over to the vent. He curled his fingers in the grating, pulling.  
  
It took the both of them to get the grating free, and by the time they slipped inside the vent, pulling the grating back over the opening to mask their exit, the footsteps had gotten much louder. The angels heard the door slam open, a loud voice shouting orders to the rest of them. Quietly, they inched down the vent, crawling on hands and knees. Castiel was in front, as they had to test whether he would even fit before continuing with the plan in the first place. Gabriel smirked.  
  
"Suddenly being the taller one isn't as much fun, huh?"  
  
Castiel went to turn, to look at the shorter archangel, but instead managed to knock his temple into the metal of the vent. He hissed, scowling.  
  
"I will not hesitate to kick you, Gabriel…"  
  
This only made him grin harder. Still, he didn't say anything else. For all he knew, the younger angel really would. And with the bracelet still working its magic, that would kind of hurt.  
  
The pair followed the vent's course for a few minutes, movement slow in attempts to be quiet. The last thing they needed is someone hearing them and knocking them out. They couldn't transport, with Gabriel's Grace trapped down and Castiel along for the ride in proximity. Eventually they came to a fork, and Castiel stopped. Behind him, Gabriel tilted his head.  
  
"Any way we could move this a little faster, Cas? Not that I mind the view…" he paused for a moment, smirking, "but we should probably get out of here ASAP."  
  
Castiel huffed out a breath, glad that the archangel couldn't see his face flush at the comment. "I don't know which way to go."  
  
He shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Just pick one and let's go."  
  
After a moment's decision, their two person train moved on, going to the left. They continued on, dull thuds in the metal as hands and knees pressed against it. Then Castiel stopped again.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"It ends."  
  
"Well, that's great. Just push the grate out and let's get out of here."  
  
Castiel huffed again, much to Gabriel's amusement. Then the taller angel pushed at the grate, trying to get it open. When that didn't work, he slammed his shoulder against it. The grate clattered to the tiled floor noisily, causing both the vent's occupants to cringe.  
  
"That was an exercise in stealth," Gabriel said finally.  
  
Castiel slid out of the vent, dropping the short distance to the floor. "I'm going to assume that was sarcasm, and respond by mentioning that this whole incident is your fault, and also the least stealthy thing you've ever done."  
  
The archangel snickered. "Touché."  
  
Having decided that they'd wasted enough time in conversation, Castiel strode down the hall they found themselves in. Gabriel followed after him, looking around in case their entry had alerted any of the building's occupants. So far the coast was clear, but they still had no idea where they were, or how to get out of the building.  
  
Castiel was walking fast, intent on escaping as quickly as possible. They'd already been in enough trouble for one day, and they needed to get back to the hotel. Dean and Sam were most likely back, and wondering where they'd gone off to. He turned the corner sharply, colliding with something.  
  
Someone.  
  
The officer was knocked back a step, staring at Castiel. The angel gaped, and Gabriel rounded the corner behind him, taking in the scene.  
  
"Well shit."  
  
Castiel took a step back, pushing Gabriel back the way they'd come. The archangel didn't need to be told twice, turning and taking off in a run down the hall. Castiel followed quickly, with the guard hot on their heels. He chanced a look back to see the officer grabbing a walkie from his belt as he chased them, snapping something into it. Calling for back up, most likely.  
  
Gabriel ran past a flight of stairs, sneakers skidding to a halt on the tile as he quickly changed course, taking them two at a time. Castiel followed, clinging tightly to the railing. The officer was thrown off for only a moment before resuming his chase, joined soon by another officer.  
  
This day just got better and better.  
  
He knew going up the stairs wasn't getting them any closer to the exit, but going down them meant running straight into their two pursuers. Which was even more counterproductive. So up it was.  
  
They stumbled out of the stairway, into a different hall. Panting for breath, Gabriel grabbed Castiel by the sleeve of his trench coat, yanking him around a corner and into the first door they came across. It was dark, but the angels slid down to hide against the door as the guards' footsteps thundered past them.  
  
Gabriel cracked a grin, trying to catch his breath. Beside him, Castiel looked around the dark room as his eyes adjusted.  
  
"Gabriel, this is a closet."  
  
He blinked. "Huh. So it is. Y'know…I've always wanted to get some action in a closet…"  
  
Castiel stared at him, deadpan. "I did not just risk my life to break you out of prison so we could make out in a janitor's closet."  
  
"…Not even a little?"  
  
"No, Gabriel."  
  
"Damn."  
  
The pair sat in silence for awhile. It was quiet in the hall, but they didn't dare leave their hiding spot quite yet. They weren't sure where their trip through the vents had landed them, or how far away from the exit they were. But they couldn't stay in the closet for very long. Eventually the two officers roaming the halls would figure out the angels had given them the slip and start checking rooms.  
  
"Should we make a run for it?" Gabriel shrugged, peeking up into the frosted glass of the door. He couldn't make anything out, but nothing moved outside, so he considered that a good sign.  
  
"I think we might have to," Castiel replied. "Otherwise we're never getting out of here."  
  
"Okay. Where do you think we are?"  
  
"No idea," the other angel shook his head. "We'll have to fly blind for awhile. Just stay quiet, move quick and try to get an idea of where the exit is."  
  
Gabriel smirked, nudging his shoulder with his own. "I love it when you start barking out orders…”  
  
Castiel sighed, even as his face warmed once more. "Just go."  
  
"Yessir!"  
  
Gabriel got to his feet, opening the door quietly and poking his head out. After checking that the coast was clear, he slipped out into the hall, Castiel following close behind. He headed for a window, so they could at least see what floor they'd wound up on, after their trip on the stairs.  
  
"Well, third floor…" he ran a hand through his hair. "If we can get back to the stairway, we can take that down to the first, and then try to find something familiar."  
  
Castiel nodded. "That sounds good."  
  
They headed back the way they'd come, keeping a cautious eye out for patrolling officers. When they got to the end of the hall near the stairs, their pursuers from earlier rounded the corner.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Gabriel cursed, grabbing Cas by the wrist and yanking him toward the stairs. The officers took off in a run to intercept them. The archangel stopped short, almost falling down the stairs; luckily Castiel latched onto his sleeve in enough time to prevent it. The loud clambering from below them told them that there were more officers coming up the stairs. Plenty more, from the sounds of it.  
  
"Up, go up!" Castiel snapped, dragging the shorter angel around the railing and up another flight of stairs instead. Gabriel stumbled at the change, but managed to keep up.  
  
The group of officers behind them gave chase, forcing them to keep going up the stairs or be caught. The last flight gave way to a door, which Castiel slammed into, knocking it open to reveal the last bit of sunlight in the day.  
  
They'd run straight out onto the rooftop.  
  
Gabriel cursed, realizing they were trapped up here. The cops followed, a few keeping the door blocked while the others advanced. The angels backed up slowly, a hand still latched on to each other's sleeves.  
  
Eventually they reached the ledge. Going any further wasn't a rational idea, not off a five story building. Gabriel glanced from the edge, to the cops, and finally to Castiel.  
  
"Well… it was a nice try at least."  
  
"It could have gone better," Castiel tipped his head.  
  
The officers approached carefully, not wanting their fugitives spooked into jumping.  
  
"Think the kids'll miss us?"  
  
"Possibly."  
  
Gabriel frowned, but didn't resist as the first officer reached him, grabbing his arm to click a handcuff onto it. It clinked against the metal bracelet.  
  
"Hold on a minute," someone spoke up, giving the officer pause. Gabriel blinked. He knew that voice.  
  
He looked up, only to see two very- familiar FBI agents push past the cops guarding the door. He tried not to look too relieved as the Winchesters moved to step between the officers and the angels.  
  
"Just what's going on here?" the officer asked, scowling.  
  
The brothers flashed their fake badges, all business. "We'll take it from here."  
  
"Are you kidding? These two had the whole building in chaos all day! You think you can just waltz in here and scoop them up after we did all the work?!"  
  
"That's exactly what's happening," Dean replied, grabbing Castiel by the arm. He sent the officer a look, daring him to interfere.  
  
Sam curled a hand into the back of Gabriel's jacket, pulling him along. The group of cops watched the small party go back inside. The Winchesters dragged the angels down the stairs and into an elevator at the other end of the hall. No one spoke until they'd exited the building, heading out to where the Impala was parked.  
  
0000000000  
  
Gabriel sighed, lounging across one of the room's beds. He popped a Hershey's kiss into his mouth, rolling his eyes. "Okay, so it wasn't my brightest idea ever, but it worked out in the end, yeah?"  
  
"Only because we all came to save your ass," Dean snapped, tossing his suit jacket over a chair. "It's a good thing Cas left the laptop on, or we wouldn't even have known where the hell to look for you two!"  
  
He gestured to Sam's laptop, still sitting on the table, the screen still up on the police station's website. That had been a lucky break.  
  
He frowned. "Yeah, well… it wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for this stupid spell…"  
  
"Lucky for you," Sam spoke up, leaning back in his chair, "We figured that out too."  
  
This got his attention. "You did?"  
  
"Yeah. We tracked the witch down while you were out creating your criminal record," the older hunter replied. "She took a little convincing, but we managed to get her summoning spell to the contact the demon she was working with. We can call them up and get them to reverse this thing. Because you're annoying as hell when you can't zap yourself away."  
  
Gabriel ignored the obvious tease, anxious to get his Grace back in working condition. "Can we do it now?"  
  
"It might be better to wait until morning," Sam stared resolutely at his laptop, his back to the archangel. "Maybe you should sit there and think about all the trouble you caused today."  
  
He launched a pillow at the taller man, scowling. "I mean it."  
  
Sam snickered, happy to finally get one up on the Trickster. "Yeah, I guess. Give me a few minutes to get everything ready."  
  
Gabriel and Dean watched as Sam gathered the materials for the spell, Castiel helping where he could. It didn't take too long; demon summoning spells were something the Winchesters were getting used to doing. Some time later, the room's occupants waited around the chalk circle Sam had drawn on the floor, as the spell was read, and the last ingredient thrown in the bowl.  
  
The demon was in the circle, surprising him just as much as everyone else in the room. Gabriel's jaw dropped.  
  
"YOU!"  
  
Crowley frowned over the glass he'd been sipping when he'd been pulled into the circle. "Well look who it is."  
  
Dean looked from one to the other. "You two know each other?"  
  
"I dunno why I didn't automatically assume it was you," the archangel continued, ignoring Dean. "Still mad about that girl in Barcelona?"  
  
Crowley scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Hardly. This would be for the incident in Egypt."  
  
"Oh. Yeah that was a good one. Camels are nasty."  
  
"Someone wanna fill the rest of us in here?" the hunter tried again.  
  
"Leaving out the bits about camels, please?" Sam added with a grimace.  
  
Crowley smirked. "Fun Size and me, here, we have a little… competition."  
  
Dean arched a brow. "A demon and an archangel having a prank war?"  
  
Gabriel shrugged. "Things get boring after a few centuries of watching you guys stumble around…"  
  
"Can you undo the spell?" Castiel spoke up, frowning.  
  
"Of course I can. The question is, why should I?"  
  
Castiel growled, standing up from his place on the bed and in the demon's face in a second. "Undo it. NOW."  
  
Crowley took a step back, arching a brow. "Calm down there, feathers. Wouldn't want you all in a fit."  
  
Gabriel was surprised, reaching out to grab onto Cas's arm. Crowley snapped his fingers, and the bracelet fell off his wrist, clattering to the floor.  
  
The demon smirked. "Happy now? I'd appreciate it if you let me go now. I was enjoying a nice quiet evening at home without annoying angels."  
  
Castiel looked ready to argue, but Gabriel stepped up, dragging his sneaker across the chalk line, feeing the demon from the trap.  
  
"I'll get you back later."  
  
"Counting on it, angel," Crowley chuckled before disappearing.  
  
Before the archangel could say anything else, Castiel grabbed his wrist. He blinked and they weren't where they had been. It looked like the same hotel, but it was empty.  
  
"Cas?"  
  
He was surprised again when the taller angel all but slammed him into the nearest door, staring at him intensely. Gabriel grinned in response, before he was yanked into a particularly rough kiss.  
  
A bit dazed, Gabriel pulled back with a chuckle. "Oh, now you're in the mood…"  
  
"Now that we're not trying to escape the authorities, yes."  
  
"Hmm. Suppose it's only fair. I spent a lot of time ogling you in the vent there."  
  
Castiel made an indignant noise, but recovered quickly enough, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out the pair of handcuffs Gabriel had left half- wearing. He gave the archangel a smug smirk.  
  
Gabriel arched a brow. "Well… let's hope you're better at interrogation than those morons at the station."  
  
Castiel wrapped one of the cuffs around the shorter angel's wrist. "I think I can manage."  
  
END


End file.
